The Problems With Boys and Brothers
by Fanwoman
Summary: In life, as in battle, sometimes it only takes a moment, one brief encounter, to know a person well. Of course, it helps when you have something important in common. Set six years before the start of the series, this story is not intended to be shippy.


SPOILERS: Through _Naruto_ chapter 137 and episode 79.

NOTES: Although their experiences with Konoha were probably drastically different, they're the same age and both elder siblings to younger brothers. As reasonable as it might be that they've met one another, I don't know what the heck my muses were thinking when they came up with this. The initial content is a bit disturbing, but I hope you find it at least a thoughtful read. This is set a little less than six years before the start of the series.

DISCLAIMERS: I don't own _Naruto_.

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><p>THE PROBLEMS WITH BOYS AND BROTHERS<p>

She had to breathe through her mouth because her nose was in the dirt, but that was her preference. If she raised her head, her nose would be in the crotch of the weasel who held her arms pinned, and he would probably enjoy rubbing it in her face.

It wasn't the first time someone had tried to pull this kind of crap with her. Being stronger and faster than most of the boys in her grade, she had conflicts with them on a regular basis in class, so it was natural those conflicts occasionally followed her home. Like the others before them, she would get back at these two for this little stunt, though she might not wear their tiny dicks and scrotum as a necklace like she wanted. She'd learned to prefer avoiding the hubbub that would happen if she tried relieving future ninja of their manhoods. Sure, subjecting girls to mock rape was just boys being boys, but try neutering one of the little maggots and suddenly it was the end of the world!

While this wasn't the first time dealing with a sneak attack from disgruntled wimps, it was the first time she'd had to deal with such a conflict without her dogs. It didn't matter; she'd already gotten a good enough whiff of both of the cowards. But having yet to master her family's shikyaku technique, she only had her regular strength to rely on. Growling in frustration she struggled against them, but the way they had her pinned kept her from getting the leverage to throw them off.

The one behind her, who held her hips aloft no matter how hard she tried to lower them, laughed and ground against her backside again. Even through his shorts and her own, she could feel his erection, and it infuriated her to be unable to do anything about it.

"She even makes noises like a dog." His tone sounded like someone much older. Imitating voices had been one of her class's recent lessons in the Academy. "That's why you like it like this, don't you?"

There was more than one kind of strength, and having grown up with dogs and a little brother, she was equally skilled in using words to control behavior. "If this is the only way you can get it off, your family's future prospects are pretty grim." She was pleased at how calm and matter-of-fact she sounded.

The one behind her shoved her face in the dirt. "Shut up, bitch!" She was used to the supposed insult; it was being forced into a submissive act by a weakling that caused her blood to boil.

Once he let up, she spit the dirt and blood from her mouth, barely noticing the sharp pain of her newly split lip. "You really are an idiot, Taniuchi." Somehow, she made it sound like mocking banter instead of enraged snarling. "You think, because you and Nakamori jump me from behind and alter your voices, that I won't know it was you?" It was her turn to laugh. "I don't need my boys in order to sniff out a rat."

A punch to a kidney was her reward for her outburst, leaving her gasping for air and stars sparking behind her tightly shut eyes.

"Know your place, bitch." He'd switched to his normal voice, and there was a hint of desperation in it.

She had gotten to him; it was just a matter of leveraging her foothold on his psyche. When she caught her breath again, she sniggered. "You're only making things worse." But her bravado evaporated when he began pulling down her shorts. Mating was a privilege for her clan. She had already started her monthly cycle and would be cast out if the bastard succeeded—the possibility terrified her. "You're too spineless to face me like a man, so you don't have the balls to kill me. I know who you are. How do you think this is going to end?"

"With you begging for more." To her sensitive hearing, the sound of his fly unzipping was absurdly loud.

"Hey." Nakamori seemed shocked, but that wasn't reassuring. "I didn't agree to this."

"Just shut up and-"

There was a swift movement of air and the deep thudding of flesh hitting flesh—hard. Then the weight was gone, and she scrambled up the nearest tree, hastily pulling her shorts back into place. Looking down, she saw a boy no older than herself dressed in a chūnin outfit. A ninja headband held back his short, raven-black hair. Even if she hadn't registered the scent of the Uchiha district on him, there was only one person he could be—Itachi. After taking a moment to slow her heart rate and wipe her face with her shirt, she dropped to the ground beside him. He smelled like windowless rooms and musty feathers. For some reason it pleased her that she was just the tiniest bit taller than him.

"I owe you." It was as close to gratitude as her upbringing allowed.

His pitch-black eyes turned to her, but they seemed distant and cut off, as though it took a moment before he registered her presence. He had graduated three years before she'd entered the Academy, so she'd never met him, let alone heard him speak. His voice was smooth and deep and emotionless, much like his gaze. "Hardly." The Uchihas were one of the main clans of Konoha and served a function similar to police of civilian towns; it was their duty to prevent crime. "Where are your dogs?"

While the twin, red, fang tattoos on her cheeks made it obvious she was an Inuzuka, most of her clan had single canine partners. It surprised her that he knew she had more than one. "They got into a rabbit hole this morning, and I didn't have time to deflea them before class." With the immediate threat gone, she felt the unwelcome stirrings of humiliation turn her stomach sour.

He nodded. "Shall I report this?" It seemed strange to her that the prodigy of a clan that stood for the law would make reporting the incident optional. She couldn't decide if it was a test of some sort or if he was being considerate of her privacy. After all, most girls wouldn't want anyone to know about such an assault and would run home to cry to their mommies after what had happened; whereas, she could only expect a beating from her mother for being vulnerable enough to let it happen in the first place.

"Do what you've gotta do. Either way, I'll be taking care of them myself." Suddenly picking up a hint of killing intent, she glanced around to find the source and caught a fresh trace of Taniuchi in the air. Even a rat could be dangerous when it was cornered, and with both of them knowing who he was, her classmate should definitely feel cornered. She began contemplating how much trouble she'd get into for offing the little snake. If he came after her with killing intent, she wouldn't hold back.

"I shall accompany you home." The young chūnin spoke with arrogant command, which caused her to instinctively snarl.

Given how sensitive her ego was just then, she was glad she didn't take a swipe at him, but despite her youth, she wasn't stupid. In response to his raised eyebrow, she shrugged. "The other one's smart enough to have left. An idiot like Taniuchi doesn't deserve your protection."

Tilting his head, one of his eyebrows quirked subtly. "Missions and the chūnin exams should weed out cowardly fools like that."

Her nails sharpen into claws as she found herself slipping into her clan's power-enhancing, shikyaku technique. "Yeah, but why wait?"

"Why court the Hokage's disfavor while wasting effort on a weakling?" He countered. "Consider my seeing you home as...a privilege of assisting you." Perhaps it had been her pride he was trying to be considerate of.

His sensibility finally sank in, and after a deep breath, she exhaled and released the technique. "Fine. But if he tries it again, I'll end him, and I'd appreciate your testimony to back me up."

Again, he nodded. "That is reasonable."

Used to always being one of the strongest in her class and surrounded by her dogs, she was normally very self assured. But as they continued along the secluded park path she used as a shortcut from school to home, the young man beside her completely silent, she felt the odd sensation of awkwardness. "So...what's it like becoming a chūnin?" She had been too young to see the finals that had raised him to the middle shinobi rank, but his achieving it so young had made him the legend of his generation. Her mother had summed up his fight as "effective and efficient."

"The specifics of the tests change every year, so the skills they test vary." He spoke with bland interest in the topic, making her feel she was boring him. "We are not allowed to discuss the details of our tests, but I can say being well-rounded is an asset. Relying too much on any one skill will only get you so far."

Since he didn't seem adverse to answering questions, she decided to try again. "Have you had any interesting missions?"

The corners of his mouth twitched in what might have been a subdued smile, but he shook his head. "Unfortunately, the more interesting the mission, the more likely you're not allowed to discuss it." At least he sounded less bored.

He was a figure of much speculation and admiration among the girls, and not just because of his martial skills. Getting to see him up close, she was beginning to understand why. Uniquely among the ninja of Konoha, her clan was very open and expressive. But unlike the secretiveness of many clan members, there was a sense of something more to his surreptitiousness, like you intrinsically knew what you saw was the still surface of very, very deep water. He was intriguing and compelling, and she couldn't help but feel fortunate for having even this much of his attention, no matter how demeaning the reasons for it. If only he didn't smell so unpleasant. "Is it true you can do genjutsu?"

Shifting his gaze fully to her, a frown tugged at his thin lips. "Ninja should never reveal their secrets." Then his irises shifted from fathomless black to the patterned red of his clan's special ocular jutsu, the devastatingly powerful sharingan.

Averting her eyes, fear prickled the back of her neck as she sensed the formidable forces within his gaze. She scrambled for another topic. "Have you been to other countries?" Like most her age, she had never left Konoha, let alone traveled outside the Land of Fire.

"Several."

After a moment waiting for elaboration, she prompted, "What were they like?" She asked as much to find out what he might say as to learn anything. After all, her mother was a tokubetsu jōnin, a high-ranked specialist who had traveled extensively.

"Sand is a harsh, dry, deadly place, but there is a barren beauty to it. The people there are tough and work hard to bring prosperity to their country." It was odd hearing such a flat voice express such evocative words. "Rain is almost the opposite. Arguably more deadly because of its lack of order, it is a dank, miserable place where the strong prey on the weak and there is only struggling to survive. Fire is the most lush and appealing and perhaps the safest."

Pleased she had gotten him to reveal so much, she thought of another question that the girls in class nattered about. "Are you really being considered for ANBU already?"

"You talk a lot."

She wasn't sure, but there might have been a hint of mockery or censure in his words.

Shrugging, she tried not to be irritated by his observation. "Working with dogs, we have to accommodate their need for attachment and methods of communication. We are the bridge and bond between our canine partners and human teammates. Acute awareness of those around you is essential to picking up cues that lead to effective teamwork and successful missions, but there is only so much social information you can get from smell. Vision is not an Inuzuka strength, so we rely on sound and touch to complement our awareness."

"So you talk a lot." His tone was definitely a bit judgmental.

With effort, she didn't bare her teeth at him, instead choosing to highlight his ignorance that had inspired the comment. "Haven't you worked with an Inuzuka yet?" Her clan's tracking skills were in regular demand for a wide variety of missions.

"No."

She tilted her head so she could look down her nose at him. "Maybe after you do, you'll appreciate the value of senses other than sight." It was foolish to irritate those more powerful than you, but the pride intrinsic to her clan made her defense of it instinctive. Besides, it was unprofessional to disparage the habits of other clans. Perhaps an Akimichi could laugh off a tease about their tendency to always be eating, a requirement for the clan's hidden techniques, but to poke a jibe at an Inuzuka being an Inuzuka was like asking to get bitten.

"I'm sure that will be the case."

Whether he was intentionally mollifying her or not, it worked. She felt somehow acknowledged and willingly let the slight go. Between that and the killing intent fading behind them, she felt more comfortable, more like herself.

Exiting the park, they entered the neighborhood where her clan resided. They were downwind, so she could already pick up the scent of dogs and home. It reminded her of something she had in common with the Uchiha besides age and profession. "I hear you have a younger brother."

Unexpectedly, he smiled, and his whole face transformed into one that was closer to that of a human being instead of an expressionless mask. "Sasuke." There was a complex tapestry of warmth, amusement, and affection in those three syllables.

Pleased to have found a topic he seemed interested in, she happily followed that conversational trail. "How old is he?"

"Almost six." Fondness and impatience mixed together in his simple response.

"Mine just turned!" She gave him a commiserating grimace. "Does he follow you around like a puppy and ask you about every little thing?"

He nodded with an exasperated snort. "And if I'm too busy or too tired to answer, he has a tendency to sulk."

The image of a miniature Itachi following him around and sulking made her laugh. "Mine whines. If he gets too annoying, I give him something to eat or have one of my boys take him outside."

The young Uchiha rubbed his chin thoughtfully, a glimmer of humor in his eyes. "Maybe I should get a dog."

Before they even turned the corner that led to the entrance of her clan compounds, a cacophony of barking began. In amongst the others were her trio of brothers as well as her human brother, all calling her name.

Oddly, there were cats along the walls and at the gates, which burst open to allow a spiky-haired child to run out and throw himself into her arms. "Hana! Hana! I washed the brothers for you!" His damp shirt reeked of catnip.

She wrinkled her nose at the smell. "What did you wash them _with_?"

Being well trained, her dogs had not left her clan's compound, but they were close enough to tell her they'd tried to stop him. Meanwhile, the cats at the gate were doing their best to get inside, despite the open threat.

"Lavender and spearmint." Her brother beamed. "I did all three all by myself!"

"Are you nose-deaf, brat?" She snapped. "That wasn't spearmint!" Putting him in a choke hold, she began rubbing his head. "Don't ever do that again!"

The little boy writhed and whined and insisted. "I was helping!"

"He really does whine, doesn't he?"

The calm, subtly amused observation caused the siblings to stop and look.

"Who's that?" Her brother's face was filled with suspicion and curiosity as he took a big sniff then wrinkled his nose.

"Kiba, this is Itachi Uchiha. He's the same age as me, but he's a chūnin" Setting her brother down, she added, "Why don't you say, 'Hi'?"

Much to her chagrin, Kiba pulled down his pants and tried to whiz on the young Uchiha, who deftly dogged the childish assault. "Hana has _three_ dogs—that makes her better than _you_!"

After she knocked a lump into her brother's thick skull, she growled. "Who told you that was appropriate behavior?"

Like a good Inuzuka, he didn't cry. Instead, the little tattooed face scowled at her. "Mom said I should piss on anyone who acted like they were better than me."

"It's a figure of speech, and there is no act involved, pipsqueak!" She never considered having him apologize. Instead, she yanked up his pants then held him upside-down by one foot while he squirmed and fumed and futilely pried at her hand. "Little brothers. What can you do?"

To her surprise, she heard a chuckle, but when she turned her attention back to the Uchiha, she found only the faintest hints of humor on his face. "Enjoy them while you can." Then his look grew almost sad until it slipped back into the emotionless face he'd had before. "Until next time." In a blur she could barely follow, he sprinted away.

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><p>There never was a next time. A few years later, she could hardly believe the reports of the Uchiha having been slaughtered by their own prodigy. She had only met him the one time, but he had seemed so honorable and capable and sensible. How could anyone like that kill their whole family? It was too horrible to even begin to comprehend. Then her mother mentioned there had been one survivor, the culprit's younger brother, and somehow it made more sense to her.<p>

By then, Kiba was in the same Academy class with Sasuke. Although they were hardly friends—Kiba frequently had bad things to say about "that stuck-up prick"—even her brother was somewhat traumatized by the massacre and sympathetic to the Uchiha orphan. While she was pleased with this demonstration of her brother growing up enough that he could relate to those he didn't like, when he would snarl, "I knew that damned Itachi was no good from the moment I met him," she would smack him and tell him not to talk about things he knew nothing about.

It took a great deal of effort to bury so many dead, but once it was arranged, most of Konoha showed up to pay their respects. She went not only to honor the dead but because she wanted to see the boy Itachi had mentioned so fondly, the one he had spared.

Sasuke was beautiful, in a wan sort of way, with intelligent eyes and a well-sculpted face. His paleness was exacerbated by his mourning black, and the dark, puffiness around his eyes revealed he had been sleeping poorly and crying a lot. But he did not cry as the Hokage, head of Konoha, made a speech about the contributions of the Uchihas, the difficulties of being a ninja, and the critical importance of loyalty. Instead, the preteen with the raven-black hair that was just like his traitorous brother's numbly stood there, eyes slightly downcast, with a hollow expression that made it seem as though his essence had been drained out of him and all that remained was a shell.

As people began to disperse after the service, she made her way to the boy standing in front of his parents' grave. He stank of incense and blood. She got so close she could have brushed his shoulder with her elbow when he finally acknowledged her presence with an empty glance.

She held out a stuffed dog to him, and he automatically took it before registering what he'd done. Belatedly, he asked, "What's this?" His voice held echoes of arrogance and derision.

"I owe you." Too somber to smile, which usually worked in softening up her brother, she didn't try.

"I've never even met you. How can you owe me?" While there was a trace of curiosity, mostly his tone was confrontational.

The boy had just seen his entire clan buried; he had the right to be angry at the world. Besides, wounded dogs tended to either whimper or bite, and he didn't seem like the whimpering kind. With that in mind, she repressed the urge to snarl. "It doesn't matter. I just do."

"And this is payment?" He was openly derisive, and his eyes and face became a bit more animated. It was better than his earlier emptiness.

"No, I just want you to have it." She would have liked to give him a puppy, something alive and warm and consoling in its devotion, but it would have been unfair to the dog to trust it to someone going through such profoundly trying times. Besides, he had no family who could care for a dog when he was old enough to go on missions.

He examined the toy with disdain. "Why would I want it?"

Using her best big-sister voice, she countered, "Why can't you just take it?"

"Fine." He sneered then turned to make his way out of the graveyard.

It irked her no one was with him. She could smell and sense the boy was being monitored by ninja, probably ANBU, but there was no one walking him home on this truly awful day. Just because he was old enough to be on his own didn't mean he should be. Offended by the emotional myopia of Konoha's powers that be, she chose to do for him what his brother had done for her and fell into step beside him.

His dark gaze shifted to her, again. Beneath the contempt there was uncertainty. "What are you doing?"

"Walking you home." She said it in an isn't-it-obvious tone and watched the boyish irritation rise in his eyes. It was a reaction she knew all too well, and it pleased her that she was drawing the real Sasuke to the surface.

"Why?" It was remarkable how much vexation he could convey in one word.

She loomed over him with a commanding, big-sister smirk. "Because I can."

Apparently accepting that it was an argument he wouldn't win, the last Uchiha shrugged and slipped into an expression of haughty indifference. It was almost amusing when paired with the stuffed dog under his arm. There were definitely hints of sulk in him as they silently walked the streets of Konoha, and she could imagine what he had been like when he was six.

To her surprise, he didn't head south, the direction of the Uchiha district, but into and through downtown. At last, he came to a newer condominium complex on the outskirts of the administrative district. It only then occurred to her how unpleasant it would be to walk alone along the streets where he'd been born and raised and seen his whole family die. The condo was a sensible choice.

As he stomped up the stairs and fished out his shiny new key, she felt the need to offer him something more meaningful than a stuffed dog. "You're not alone." If not for the brat's brother, she might have lost her clan years ago, and there was nothing she could imagine more awful than that. All of Konoha felt sympathy for him, was there for him, but no one else would be so open with him as to convey the sentiment directly. Only an Inuzuka would say such a thing, and it needed to be said.

He looked up at her, and for a brief moment, his black eyes held all the pain and misery, confusion and fear she would have felt if she were him. Then he blinked, and his face was the same, expressionless mask his brother had worn that day. "What would you know about it?" The only evidence of the emotions inside him was the slamming of his front door.

When she got home, she mortified her brother by hugging him to her like she used to when he was little. Apparently sensing her need, he stopped struggling after a moment and returned the embrace. Her boys joined them, leaning against their legs in comforting support.

"They were screwed up, Hana," he mumbled into her chest, and his little cream-colored dog yipped agreement from the floor. "They were dark and twisted and had more sick secrets than the rest of the village combined."

"They were people, Kiba." She was too exhausted to chastise him properly.

"It's better to be like us, to growl when you're angry and tell people off when they're full of themselves and protect the ones you love no matter what." Looking up at her, his expression was unusually serious. "The kind of power they had doesn't matter if it makes you do a thing like that. Maybe it's good they're gone."

She had heard whispers of similar sentiments from those at the funeral. It irritated her that they could so dispassionately forget all the Uchihas had given for Konoha; she would never forget what Itachi had done for her.

"I'd rather be an Inuzuka than anything."

Although it was a passionate declaration, she knew intuitively he was expecting a response. Maybe he also remembered the gratitude she felt toward Konoha's newest missing-nin.

Ruffling his pointy locks, she bared her teeth in a fierce grin as she let pride in the strength-inducing, unfailing loyalty of her clan flood through her and wash the melancholy of the day away. Whatever Itachi's reasons for committing such a foul crime might be, they would always be beyond her understanding, because she could never, ever do anything that would bring her annoying, boastful, precious, idiot brother so much pain.

"Me, too."

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><p>DETAILS<p>

Itachi graduated from the Academy at the age of 7 and became a chūnin at 10, but there are no stats like that for Hana. Given her age at the start of the show was the same as her mother's when Hana was born and that she's still a chūnin at the age of 21, it's reasonable to assume Hana is an average shinobi and graduated at the age of 12.

Although it has not been expressly said, based on comments from the series, I'm assuming the Academy normally takes three years. I also assume the Academy is like Japanese schools, beginning in early April. Since Hana's birthday is April 13, she would be one of the oldest in her class. In Japan, there are activities that take place in schools even during summer break, which Konoha may or may not have.

Kiba's birthday is July 7th, while Sasuke's is July 23rd, so Kiba is older.

Catnip is a kind of mint.

Anosmia is the inability to smell, but I thought nose-deaf would be an appropriate and more accessible term to convey the idea.


End file.
